Jorge Martin kept his MotoGP title challenge alive in Qatar after racing through significant pain from a fractured right wrist. The Aprilia rider finished third in the sprint and seventh in the Grand Prix, while Marc Marquez took second in the main race. Martin is now 60 points behind Marquez, with the championship battle moving on to Portugal.

Martin revealed that he was still unsure whether he would travel to Qatar as late as Tuesday. He fractured his right wrist in a crash during the Phillip Island sprint, an injury that forced him to miss both races at the Malaysian Grand Prix. His return therefore came under considerable physical and competitive pressure, with Marquez able to reach his first title match point in Qatar.

Pain in the closing laps

The result could have been stronger had Martin qualified higher than 11th. He said the wrist became especially difficult in the final laps, but believed a better starting position might have allowed him to fight for the top five or even the podium. Martin also felt that the Aprilia was working well, although his physical condition prevented him from extracting its full potential.

The race became a test of whether he could maintain his pace. After 12 or 13 laps, Martin began considering whether to ease off, but then noticed that he was catching Enea Bastianini and Pedro Acosta. That convinced him to continue pushing for roughly the final 20 minutes. With four or five laps remaining, he said he had nothing more to give and was simply concentrating on completing each lap and reaching the finish.

Portimao becomes the next target

Martin must reduce Marquez’s advantage to 36 points at Portimao if the title fight is to continue to the Valencia finale. Even so, the championship is not his immediate priority. Martin plans to continue the therapies he says have been working, spend several days at home and use that time to recover physically. His stated aim for the final two races with Aprilia is to return at full fitness, enjoy the closing stretch of the season and fight for victories rather than focus on the standings.